


The Life & Times Of Alan J. Corbett

by Trickster88



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-23
Updated: 2012-06-23
Packaged: 2017-11-08 08:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/441323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickster88/pseuds/Trickster88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."</i>
</p>
<p>
Alan J. Corbett led an average life - only child to two loving parents, a moderately untroubled childhood, and more recently, a respectable education at a relatively reputable college. All in all, he led a rather boring existence, but he was content.
</p><p>
That is, until he became a Ghostfacer. His life is still boring, but now he's suffering from the worst puppy crush in the history of the world and his dreams are making even less sense than usual.
</p><p>
<i>"Winchester?!"</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Life & Times Of Alan J. Corbett

**Author's Note:**

> **AN- Written for**[pre_post_spnbb](http://pre_post_spnbb.livejournal.com). The fantastic art created for this story by [kymericl](http://kymericl.livejournal.com/profile) can be found [here](http://kymericl.livejournal.com/28594.html).

  


***

Alan J. Corbett led an average life – only child to two loving parents, a moderately untroubled childhood, and more recently, a respectable education at a relatively reputable college. All in all, he was the owner of a rather boring existence, but he was content.

Then, he saw _him_.

Ed Zeddmore, with the beautiful, irresistible, scruffy beard, the man of Corbett’s _dreams_ , just _standing there_ in the middle of the mall next to a tired looking bulletin board. Corbett watched him, struck motionless by the sheer _handsome_ radiating from the man, unaware that he was disrupting the flow of foot traffic.

Ed pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose – a flawlessly graceful motion, Corbett noted with longing – and slapped a flier in the center of the board. He stepped back, briefly admiring his work, before turning and heading towards another area of the mall.

The flier was simple – a graphic skull design with matching text and a couple of removable contact tabs. Corbett eagerly took one, shopping bags rustling.

“The Ghostfacers.” Corbett smiled. Cute.

***

“ _Hello?_ ” Corbett swallowed dryly, butterflies zipping around his stomach. His voice was even sexier than Corbett had imagined.

“Hi, uh, I, I mean I, well, I-I saw your ad.” Corbett coughed, blushing deeply. It had taken him a while to gather the courage to call the number on the tab, and now he was _blowing it_.

“ _You think you have what it takes to be a Facer?_ ” Corbett crossed his fingers and closed his eyes tightly.

“Yes.” He waiting, and though the reply came mere seconds later, it felt like forever.

“ _Have you ever had contact with the spirit world? Have you ever been possessed by a demon or other form of supernatural entity? Have you ever heard of the infamous D-Bag Winchesters? Are you allergic to yak-fur?_ ” Corbett opened his eyes and blinked. Whatever he’d been expecting, that hadn’t been it.

“Um, no, and no. Sorry, is that a band? ‘Infamous D-Bag Winchesters’? I haven’t heard of them before.”

“ _What about the yak-fur?_ ” Ed questioned sharply.

“I don’t…think so?” Corbett’s brow furrowed. He’d never come across _yak-fur_ before either.

“ _Alright young lion,_ ” Corbett held his breath again. “ _We’ll see you at midnight bright and early for training._ ”

“…That’s the middle of the ni-”

“ _It’s morning to a Ghostfacer!_ ” Corbett nodded, glancing at the tab. It had the Facers’ headquarters’ address on the back.

“I’ll be there.” Ed hung up on him, but Corbett still grinned.

“It’s a date.” Corbett said aloud, and he didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.

***

Corbett had shown up to the small, one-story house with a bottle of water, a pair of new sneakers, and an optimistic mindset.

Corbett had _left_ the small, one-story house completely drenched from head to toe with way more water than had been in his bottle, one shoe lost, never to return, and a black eye.

And, of course, he was coming back tomorrow.

***

His parents, naturally, thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

“Ludicrous! Absolutely ludicrous!” Corbett’s father paced back and forth. And the dinner had been going so _well_.

“What are you _doing_ , Alan?” Corbett’s mother asked, fussing over his black eye. He’d lied and said he’d smacked it on the car door – it was easier than trying to explain exactly what yak-fur had to do with it.

“It’s _fun_.” Corbett insisted. It wasn’t, not at all, but Ed was just so _amazing_. Corbett hadn’t had a crush this bad in _years_.

“You’re not a child anymore, Alan.” Mr. Corbett told him sternly. “Fun can only be had in moderation. You have responsibilities now.”

“Yes, sir.” Corbett replied obediently.

He went back to training Thursday, and was rewarded with a broken thumb.

***

Weeks passed slowly with the Facers, after his training had been completed. Once you were a Facer, or, technically, an intern…nothing happened.

When talking with Maggie, (Ed’s _adopted_ sister, emphasis on the _adopted_ , Corbett didn’t know why), she’d revealed that his application had been the most interesting thing that had happened in weeks.

For the most part, the Facers sat in Mr. Zeddmore’s garage, occasionally reading folklore.   
Spruce liked to play pranks on Ed and Harry, and Maggie was only too happy to help.

Corbett decided to watch from the sidelines and make sure everyone was fed. He _was_ studying culinary arts, after all, and he might as well get the practice.

Every couple of days, Ed and Harry would recount their one and only encounter with a ghost. The legend of Mordacai, and the infamous D-Bag Winchesters, who were not, in fact, a band, but a team of ghost hunting brothers.

“The bastard was coming towards us with an ax, but we were resourceful.” Ed leaned forward, spinning his tale with gusto. Maggie was studiously ignoring her brother while Spruce and Harry played tic-tac-toe, but Corbett hung on Ed’s every word.

“What’d you do?” Corbett asked, even though he’d heard the answer more times than he could count. No matter how many times he heard Ed’s story, it couldn’t change the butterflies that exploded in his stomach every time Ed made eye contact with him to tell it.

“We burned that sucker to the ground, my friend! If he didn’t have a house, he couldn’t haunt it.” Ed grinned in his self-satisfied way, and Corbett’s stomach did a nervous backflip.

“Wow, that’s brilliant, Ed.” Corbett replied, awed. Ed smiled again, faking modesty (not that Corbett minded all that much, everyone had their flaws), and clapped a hand on Corbett’s shoulder. Electricity shot through his limb, and Corbett desperately tried to suppress a blush.

“Well, yeah, I guess it was.” Ed muttered. “We almost got a movie deal, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

“That’s too bad,” Corbett remarked, heart beating wildly in his chest as he decided to just go for it. “You’re very photogenic. I bet you would have been great on the big screen.”

Maggie, Spruce, and Harry looked up at his comment, but Ed didn’t seem to notice and Corbett ignored them.

“Why thank you, Corbett,” Ed looked over at the other smugly. “At least _somebody_ around here knows talent when they see it.”

Harry looked confused and Spruce seemed like it was slowly dawning on him, but Maggie just shot Corbett a look and snorted.

“Yeah Ed, pure, _unabashed_ , talent.”

Maggie and Ed continued on into another one of their endless sibling arguments and Corbett frowned. His come on had gone entirely unnoticed by Ed.

_This might be tougher than I thought_. Corbett told himself, as Ed took a gibe at the fact that Maggie was adopted for the umpteenth time.

But it was alright – Corbett could use a challenge.

***

_Corbett._

_Corbett._

_Boy, wake up!_

Corbett groaned as what felt like a booted foot connected with his side.

“Wh-hu-” Corbett blinked rapidly, recoiling from the sudden, harsh light above him. A figure looked down at him, slowly morphing into a young man.

Corbett blinked again. He was _hot_.

The man rolled his eyes, hefting Corbett to his feet. Suddenly, Corbett was very conscious of his ratty pajamas and his rather-awful case of bed-head.

“Where am I?” Corbett patted down his hair quickly, only for it to spring back up a moment later. “Who are you?”

“ _My name is John._ ” John was fit, and his eyes were a delicious dark chocolate. “ _Welcome to the spectral plane, Corbett._ ”

“The what?” Corbett turned, looking around. There was nothing, just a vast expanse of pure white. There was no way to tell how small the space was, as the walls and the floor blended perfectly together.

“ _The spectral plane_.” John repeated gruffly, scuffing a dirty boot against the pristine white floor. It didn’t leave a mark, though the boot was certainly dirty enough.

“Does that make you a ghost?” Corbett teased, flirting – and much more obviously than he had with Ed – but John nodded.

“ _Yup. John Winchester, dead since 2006, at your service._ ” John shot Corbett a toothy smile, bending into a mock-bow.

“Dead?” Corbett’s eyes widened. “Am I…”

“ _What? No._ ” John waved away his question impatiently. “ _I just needed to talk to you._ ”

“Oh.” Corbett swallowed dryly, panic receding. “Uh…what about?”

“ _I need your help, Corbett._ ” John leveled him with a soulful gaze. “ _I need you to help me-_ ”

**BRRNG**

**BRRNG**

Corbett sat up, gasping. His chest felt like it had been sat on. The whiteness was gone, replaced with the normal surroundings of his bedroom. 

_It was just a dream,_ Corbett reassured himself. He sat there for a moment before hauling himself out of bed and into the bathroom.

He didn’t notice it until he was bending over the sink to rinse out his mouth, but there it was. A muddy boot print, on his side.

Corbett stared blankly into the mirror as it slowly dawned on him.

“ _Winchester?!_ ”

***

“Alright Facers, we’ve got a ghost-positive hit down here.” Ed gestured to a point on his map, and Maggie groaned.

“Ed, that’s four hours away!”

“Shut up, Maggie!”

Corbett hid a smile as he passed out the coffee he’d just brewed. Ed’s sibling rivalry was just too _cute_.

“Now,” Ed nodded to Harry, who passed out the information packets they’d come up with. “I know it’s a _little_ far, but this thing is legit. It could be the break we’re looking for.”

“Or it could hurt someone.” Harry interjected.

“Or it could hurt someone. But it could also be our break.” Ed and Harry nodded in agreement as Maggie rolled her eyes and Spruce sipped his coffee.

“When do we leave?” Corbett asked enthusiastically. Ed grinned at him in that positively-heartbreaking way of his.

“Saturday, 5 AM. Alright guys, and Maggie, bring it in.” Corbett quickly covered Ed’s hand with his own, delighted by the contact. His puppy crush was rather severe.

“Ghoooooost- _facers!_ ”

***

“Why couldn’t we have taken two cars?” Spruce complained. Corbett had to admit, the van _was_ a tad cramped in the back with himself, Spruce, Maggie, and all of their equipment crammed into the back.

“It’s about looking uniform, my friend. A unit, if you will.” Ed was driving, and Harry had claimed shotgun.

“A Ghostfacing unit.” Harry added.

“We’ll all get out of the same van, it’ll look intimidating.” Ed continued. Maggie snorted, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“We’ll look like _pancakes_. We’re _flattening_.” Ed ignored her, choosing instead to consult Harry for directions.

“Anybody want to play I Spy?” Corbett suggested cheerily after a long moment, and Maggie smiled tersely.

“No thanks, Corbett.” He looked to Spruce, who shrugged.

“Sure, little man. I Spy, with my little eye…”

It took them nearly 5 and a half hours to get to the small town where the supposed ghost sighting had taken place. Traffic, Ed had claimed loudly, but they had gotten lost at least twice.

Their destination was an unimpressive, rusty warehouse on the edge of the town. Nothing seemed particularly ominous about it either.

“Your first mission. Are you ready, young Facer?” Ed gave Corbett an encouraging pat on the back.

“Definitely! I’ve been trained for this.” Corbett beamed and went to grab some cables from the van.

Set up took until noon, and then they’d done a quick sweep of the warehouse. Nothing of interest had been found, but Ed and Harry were confident that the spirit would appear once the sun had set.

Maggie was reluctant to leave the equipment, but Corbett insisted that they all go out to lunch. Team down-time was good, he reasoned, and after a moment, Ed had agreed.

Sitting in the small café booth, laughing as he deflected the spitballs Spruce was unleashing upon his teammates, Corbett felt included. Up until now, he had just been the newbie, rudely intruding upon an established group. Getting to know them better showed Corbett that maybe, they could be friends.

And, if everything worked out, perhaps a little _more_ than friends with one of them.

However, when the sun began to set, Corbett started to feel a little uneasy. Was he really expected to stay the night here, looking for ghosts?

Maggie seemed skeptical, but Ed and Harry were completely convinced that they were about to see another ghost.

Well, he hadn’t gone through the hellish training and driven 5 hours in a cramped van for nothing.

“West wing is clear, Ed.” Corbett reported into his headset. He didn’t think the area really counted as a _wing_ , per say, considering he could easily see Maggie, Spruce, and Harry at the other walls of the warehouse from his position, but Ed had claimed it was ‘field lingo’, and no one had bothered to argue.

“ _Great, Corbett. Come back to base._ ” Ed’s voice crackled through his headphones, but he could also hear it echo through the warehouse from the base, which was set up behind a group of large metal girders.

“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?” Corbett asked. Maggie was checking her EMF meter while Spruce messed around with the camera.

“As long as we need to.” Harry answered. “We stay in the kitchen till the kitchen gets hot!”

“When. _When_ it gets hot.” Ed corrected. Harry crossed his arms.

“Yeah but, right now we’re in the kitchen even though it’s not hot. So we’re going to wait until it’s hot, and then we’re going to stay here.” Ed frowned.

“Harry, this isn’t a kitchen.” Harry glared at Ed.

“I know, it was a metaphor, Ed. From our theme song?”

“I _know_ , I _wrote_ our theme song.”

“What do you mean you _wrote_ our theme song-”

“Boys, please!” Maggie cut off the bickering. “You two are worse than children!”

“Hey, I resent that.” Ed countered in a hurt tone.

“I wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true.” Maggie retorted. Ed glared at her.

“Don’t talk to your commander like that!”

“Commander! _Commander_?”

“ _Co_ -commander!” Harry corrected icily.

“Guys,” Spruce called. Corbett half-turned to him, still watching the three-way fight unfold.

“You don’t command shit! You _can’t_ command shit!” Maggie threw up her arms in frustration.

“You’re just jealous because Mom and Dad always loved me the most because you’re ado-”

“GUYS!” Spruce bellowed. Everyone fell silent, turning to the cameraman. “Does anybody else hear that?”

The Facers froze, listening. A faint creak floated to the group from the south wing, and Ed’s eyes widened.

“It’s the ghost!” He hissed, altogether too loud. “Let’s get moving!”

They sprang into action, gathering their cameras and flashlights. Harry elected to stay behind and coordinate their movements.

“Maggie, Spruce, circle around the left. Corbett and I will go around the right. Facer formation A, go!” Ed took off in one direction, moving as quickly and as quietly as he could.

“Isn’t that the left?” Corbett asked, confused. Maggie rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Yup.” Spruce led the way towards the right, and Corbett hurried to catch up with Ed.

“Shh, shh,” Ed pressed a finger to his lips, doubling over as he moved in an arc towards the south wall. Corbett followed suit, though he thought they looked a bit ridiculous – it was an open space with nowhere to hide. The ghost was going to see them coming, regardless. 

However, it was dark, and Ed was cute when he was excited.

“Listen!” Ed instructed, slowing his pace as they neared their intended destination.

A muted scuffling drifted towards them from their right, where the ghost was supposed to be. Corbett didn’t think ghosts _scuffled_ , but said nothing.

“Harry, do we have a visual yet?” Ed whispered into his headset. Corbett’s crackled to life at Harry’s response.

“ _Not yet. Maggie and Spruce are in position._ ”

“Alright. We’re going in.” Ed started to close the circle they’d made, and Corbett followed.

“ _The lion is roaring, the lion is roaring._ ” Harry broadcast to the team. Corbett heard Maggie release a burst of annoyed air over the open link.

“RAH!” Ed flew forward, blindly flailing around with a Ziploc bag of rock salt. Corbett ducked instinctively, covering his eyes to protect them. He heard a yell, and a loud metallic crash before the last wave of rock salt showered over him.

“Did I get it?” Ed asked, sitting up from his awkward sprawl on the grungy concrete. Spruce was examining something behind Ed with his camera, and Maggie shook her head in disbelief.

“Well, you got _something._ ”

***

As it turned out, Ed hadn’t gotten some _thing_ , he’d gotten some _one_.

“We’re all unloaded, Ed.” Spruce reported wearily. They’d driven the four hours home after their misadventure and gotten back around 5 AM. Unloading the van had taken another hour, and everyone just wanted to go home and sleep.

“Great. Thank you, Spruce. Let’s go inside for the debriefing.” Ed nodded towards the garage.

“ _Debriefing_?! What’s there to debrief about!” Maggie snapped. She wasn’t often happy with her brother and his persistent adoption jokes, and today was no exception. “You assaulted a homeless man with a bag of salt!”

“In my defense, he-”

“Shut _up_!” Maggie stormed into the Zeddmore household and slammed the door. Ed swallowed, hard, before mumbling a good morning and following her.

“Need a lift?” Spruce asked, after a moment. Corbett shook his head – his car was right down the street – and Harry followed Spruce to the van.

“See you.” Corbett called. Spruce raised a Vulcan greeting to him in return.

_Some team_ , Corbett thought. He wasn’t sure if that was good, or bad.

***

_Corbett._

_Corbett._

_Sweetie, wake up._

Corbett’s eyes stung as he opened them up to an unyielding wall of white. A blurred splotch of color hovered over him, slowly focusing into a young woman.

“Hey…” Corbett sat up, with some gentle help from the woman. He recognized this place. “Where’s John?”

“ _John’s been here_?” She asked, slightly surprised. Corbett nodded.

“ _It shouldn’t be that surprising._ ” The woman chuckled to herself. She had voluminous, pretty blond hair and eyes full of compassion. Corbett wondered idly how she had died.

“He said he needed me to help him do something.” Corbett offered. The woman sat down next to him, crisscrossing her legs and giving the conversation a more familiar feel.

“ _We do. Corbett,_ ” The woman reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. “ _I left somebody on Earth. Two somebodies, actually. I need you to help me protect them._ ”

“Sure.” Corbett replied carefully. Ed had warned him about spirits, but the woman was so sincere and her eyes were so transparently expressive, Corbett knew she couldn’t be lying.

“ _We don’t have much time._ ” The woman reached out and touched his forehead. Corbett felt a rush of energy – he couldn’t explain exactly what it was – run through his body, and a string of numbers he’d never seen before appeared in his mind.

“ _Thank you._ ” The woman squeezed his hand again and stood up.

“Wait!” Corbett scrambled to his feet – which were bare, he noted, as he was in his pajamas again. The woman turned to face him, a kind smile playing at the edges of his lips.

“ _Yes?_ ” Corbett shuffled forward a step before hesitating.

“What’s your name?” He asked, suddenly shy. The woman’s smile grew into a full-blown grin.

“ _Mary Winchester._ ”

The white disappeared.

***

Corbett woke up with a start. His dreams were getting more vivid, and he was starting to wonder if his night job was getting to him.

Corbett’s phone rang shrilly and he jumped, quickly answering it before he spooked himself again.

“What? Oh hey, Ed. Sorry, I just woke up. You want me to what?” Corbett listened carefully to the request. Something about Spruce being a dick and filming and instructional video for the website.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll come over around four.” Corbett offered, and with a pleased tone, Ed said goodbye and promptly hung up on him. He had a tendency to do that, Corbett found, and made an effort not to take it personally.

With a yawn, Corbett pushed off his covers and swung his feet out of the bed. He paused, remembering the numbers Mary had given him. They didn’t make any sense but…

Corbett counted them once, twice, just to be sure. 10 numbers.

The exact amount of digits in a phone number.

Corbett picked up the phone from his bedside table carefully and stared at it. Mary and John had just been a couple of crazy hallucinations, right? Ed and Harry complained about the Winchesters enough that it would have been natural for Corbett to subconsciously insert the word into his dreams…right?

_Well, what could it hurt?_ Corbett thought, taking care to punch in *67 before dialing. Ed had never mentioned a John or a Mary before anyway.

“ _Hello?_ ” A gruff voice answered the other end of the line.

“Hello, sorry to disturb you.” He was being stupid, and now he’d interrupted a complete stranger. “I’m looking for a…Mary?”

Corbett didn’t know how, but the telephone sounded as if it had frozen.

“ _Mary’s dead._ ” The man replied coldly. Yes, he’d already known that, but what surprised Corbett more was the fact that she was real. “ _This is her son, Dean._ ”

Corbett hung up quickly, eyes widening and air pipe constricting. 

Holy _shit_.

***

The next month passed with no more contact from the Winchesters, dead or alive. Corbett was grateful, before he still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that _real ghosts_ were appearing in his dreams.

The Ghostfacers had a quiet month as well – no new cases to speak of. But Ed and Harry had been busy filming a crap-ton of instructional videos, and the exposure had been boosting the site.

“We’ve hit a million!” Harry had exclaimed, high-fiving each team member. Corbett smiled politely, unsure what exactly had hit a million, until Spruce kindly explained.

“They have a million views on their website.” Spruce whispered. “Those videos were probably the best idea they’ve ever had.”

“They’re only getting hits because everyone’s laughing at them.” Maggie broke in, although she couldn’t hide the goofy smile that slid onto her face as she watched Ed and Harry dance, literally, with joy.

“We have to celebrate!” Harry concluded, with the widest grin Corbett had ever seen him wear.

“Let’s go for drinks!” Ed suggested heartily, and even Maggie acquiesced in light of their excitement. 

They ended up circling the downtown district three times trying to agree on a bar. But, Corbett supposed silently, that was just how the Ghostfacers rolled.

In the end, they would up at _Gunsmoke_. Corbett was pretty sure it wasn’t the sort of place Ed or Harry would normally go – it was smoky, loud, and intimidating – but Spruce was driving and Maggie was getting a headache from the arguing, so they stopped.

“Five pints!” Spruce slapped the smeared countertop enthusiastically, and Corbett sat down on the cracked barstool carefully, sandwiched between Spruce and Ed.

“To our big internet success!” Ed cried as the bartender passed out their beers. Corbett grinned and clinked his glass against Ed’s.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Maggie muttered wryly into her drink, but Corbett could barely hear her over the loud bar crowd and the buzz of classic rock in the background.

Two more pints and four pure vodka shots later, the Ghostfacers were drunk.

Spruce had gone off to play poker with some tough looking patrons while Harry and Maggie had migrated to a corner booth, giggling together about nothing in particular.

That left Corbett and Ed at the bar, and much to Corbett’s drunken delight, Ed was a handsy drunk.

“Hey, Corbett, buddy, pal,” Ed mumbled, clapping a hand on Corbett’s shoulder. “Amigo!”

Ed’s other hand swung up and grasped at Corbett’s chest. Corbett laughed, clumsily helping Ed sit up.

“How’re you?” Ed drawled, grinning. “You’re fiiiiiine!” 

“We’re drunk.” Corbett slurred. “And you’re sexy.”

“Thank you.” Ed laughed, leaning heavily against the young intern. “So’re yoooooooou.”

“You think so?” Corbett whispered seductively. There was alcohol in his bloodstream and Ed was so close…

Ed reached up, tangling his fingers in Corbett’s dark hair, and kissed him.

While Corbett was vaguely surprised Ed was the one who initiated it, he didn’t protest. Corbett gripped Ed’s collar with one hand, cradling the back of Ed’s neck and running his fingers through Ed’s hair with the other. Their lips moved clumsily at first, wet and fervid, before smoothing out into a comfortable rhythm.

Passion leaked from every pore of Corbett’s body as he kissed Ed. Ed reciprocated eagerly; tugging at Corbett’s hair and making sure not a hairsbreadth of space existed between them.

_He tastes even better than I imagined._ Corbett thought, groaning into Ed’s mouth. _I should get drunk more often._

They broke apart, panting. Ed smile glassily up at him. “Corbett…”

Ed’s eyes slipped closed and his body felt slack – he’d fallen fast asleep in Corbett’s arms.

Corbett smiled, petting down Ed’s hair gently. He hoped he’d remember this in the morning.

***

“Alright Facers,” Ed began, as he always did. “There have been reports of creepy goings-on down near Charlotte. Not as far as the last job, but I think we’ll all agree, it was still worth it.”

Ed shot Maggie a pointed look. She raised a skeptical eyebrow and ignored him.

Corbett only half-listened to Ed ramble about the newest case. He had gotten his wish a week ago at the bar – he had remembered the electrifying make out session in the morning. Ed, unfortunately, hadn’t remembered they’d gone out drinking, much less kissing the intern.

“What do you mean by ‘creepy goings-on’?” Spruce questioned, toying with his camera. “You keep saying that. What happened?”

“Uh, well,” Ed scratched his chin nervously. “Nothing’s _happened_ …yet.”

“So…?” Spruce prompted. Maggie did not look impressed.

“Nobody’s _seen_ anything; they just…get a creepy feeling.” Harry rushed, backing Ed up.

“Just to be clear, you want us,” Maggie paused scathingly. “To go hang out in a dirty, old barn just because somebody thought it looked _creepy._ ”

“…Yes?” Ed mumbled quietly.

“It’s only half an hour away.” Harry appealed. “We’d just end up sitting in this garage anyway. Think of it as a training drill. Let’s go.”

Finally, Maggie nodded, and Ed cheered. “Load her up, boys! And Maggie!” 

***

Corbett had to admit, the barn _was_ spine-chilling.

They’d set up, and now it was dark – nine turned into ten turned into eleven – and Corbett had been dispatched to scout out the grounds around the barn.

“ _See anything?_ ” Ed’s voice crackled. Corbett bobbed the flashlight back and forth along the packed-dirt trail.

“No, nothing. I’m going to check the edge of the forest.” Corbett hesitated, eying the darkness nervously. He was confident that he wouldn’t find anything, but fear of the dark was a primal instinct, one Corbett knew was pointless to attempt to contain.

Corbett forced himself closer, sweeping his flashlight across the tree line.

“Ooh, what have we here?” Corbett jumped, nearly dropping his torch. A woman emerged from the darkness, leather-clad and grinning in a way that was uncannily similar to a shark.

“Sorry, I, uh,” Corbett tried to calm his nerves. She’d very nearly scared the crap out of him. “I was just out for a walk.”

“A walk, eh?” The woman moved – more like _slinked_ – forward slowly. Corbett unconsciously took a step back. “What’s a pretty boy like you walking out here for? It could be dangerous”

“It’d be such a _shame_ if something were to happen to that _face_ of yours…” The woman grinned, and her eyes flashed black.

Corbett stumbled back, flashlight whipping erratically. She wasn’t human, wasn’t normal, and more importantly, wasn’t _safe_.

“Wh-what are you?” Corbett stuttered, every animal instinct buried in his genes screaming at him to run.

“A demon, love.” She smiled again, pacing in front of him predatorily. “Now, as I understand it, John Winchester has been talking to you.”

“Who?” Corbett covered after a moment. The demon waggled her finger at him.

“Ah ah, Corbett. I know he’s been in your noggin. I should warn you, he’s not a good man.” The demon’s eyes glinted wickedly. “I’m just here to do a public service by taking him back down.”

“D-down? As-as in-” Corbett swallowed thickly.

“Down below, the Pit, the Underworld, Satan’s playground – _Hell_ , you idiot!” The demon snapped explosively.

“I haven’t-I don’t know who you’re referring to.” Corbett lied unconvincingly. The demon growled in irritation and moved forward quicker than Corbett could even _see_ , and had him by the collar.

“I know you’ve been talking to them.” She hissed, and Corbett could see nothing in her eyes, a black vortex of pain and violence, nothing but darkness and cold-   
Distantly, Corbett realized he was crying, but he was in too much shock to care.

“Now tell me-” The demon stopped, choking on her next word. Her grip was iron, so Corbett hadn’t bothered to struggle, but when he felt it loosen he squirmed, twisting out of her hands and falling into the dirt.

The demon doubled over, sickening retching noises spluttering out of her throat. As Corbett stared, transfixed, a white light ebbed out of her mouth, engulfing her face. He watched it coil around her neck slowly before she screamed.

The scream was unnatural, piercing, and absolutely bloodcurdling. A thick, black smoke poured out of her mouth – which was not a blob of blinding white light – and seemed to vaporize as it did so, dispelled by the light instead of continuing any farther.

“ _We need your help_.” John’s voice growled in his head. Corbett jumped, and the white light disappeared.

The woman lay on the ground, unconscious. Corbett watched her for a moment, unsure if she was breathing and afraid that if he moved, she’d awaken and attack him, before scrambling up and sprinting back to the barn, flashlight long-forgotten.

“Nothing?” Harry asked as Corbett skidded to a stop next to the monitors. Corbett shook his head, panting.

“Corbett,” Maggie turned, frowning. “You okay?”

“Yeah I’m – I’m fine.” Corbett couldn’t make eye contact with her. He was shaking, beyond terrified.

“Help us set this up.” Ed called breathlessly, setting down a bulky-looking box with Spruce.

“I, uh, I’m not feeling well.” Corbett quickly got out, backing away, “I have to go.”

“What?” Ed looked up at him, but Corbett was beating a hasty retreat – he was too shaken to stay, even for _Ed_. “Corbett? Corbett!”

***

Somehow, though Corbett was a bit fuzzy on the details, he ended up in a bar.

_We need your help._

Corbett shivered; sucking down two lungful’s of beer. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend what he had seen, nor did he particularly want to.

“Hi.” Corbett looked up slowly at the word. A blond haired man with a bright smile had sat down next to him. Under other circumstances, Corbett might have thought him cute.

“Hi.” Corbett replied quietly, nursing his drink.

“Will.” Will held out his hand. Corbett meekly took it.

“Corbett.” Will released his hand and waved over a bartender.

“Two shots, please.” Will turned towards him, smile still taking up the majority of his face. He had dimples. Corbett returned the smile weakly.

“I haven’t seen you around before.” Will engaged smoothly. “What brings a handsome man like you to Charlotte?”

“Night job.” Corbett replied. The bartender slammed down two glasses and expertly sloshed vodka into them.

“Really?” Will slid his shot towards him, one finger circling the lip of the glass. “What do you do?”

“I hunt ghosts.” Corbett answered gloomily. Will laughed, a tinkling, attractive sound.

“I’ll admit, that’s far better than my pick up line.” Will grinned brilliantly and downed his shot.

Corbett snorted and finished his beer. He eyed Will carefully.

_We need your help._

Corbett grabbed Will’s collar, dragging their bodies together, and their lips. The other man didn’t protest, instead choosing to reciprocate smoothly.

“What do you say we get out of her?” Will asked suggestively. Corbett downed his shot and slapped a Hamilton on the bar top.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

***

_Corbett._

_Corbett._

_Is it going to take you this long to wake up every damn time?_

Corbett groaned and rolled over. Wait, this wasn’t his bed…

Corbett’s eyes flashed open. Familiar, muddy-brown boots contrasted against pure white were at eye level. Great, more of this contact-with-the-spirit-world crap.

Corbett sat up, at once realizing he was naked, and the night at the bar came rushing back to him. Fan _tastic._

“Really?” Corbett muttered, flushing a deep cranberry. “You had to talk to me while I’m in bed with a guy...”

“ _Yes._ ” John replied bluntly, barely blinking. He offered Corbett a hand, and Corbett took it, standing up.

“ _We need your help._ ” John repeated.

“But how did, I mean, what-”

“ _She was a demon._ ” John’s eyes hardened at the word. His mouth twisted into a scowl. “ _I took care of it._ ”

“She knew I’d talked to you. She wanted to take you to Hell.” Corbett paused, gauging John’s reaction. “Why-why are you talking to me? What do you need my help with?”

“ _You’re going to die._ ” John informed him bluntly. Corbett froze, eyes widening in alarm.

“Wh-what?” John crossed his arms, age Corbett had never seen in him before and would never have guessed from his appearance gracing his face.

“ _Sam and Dean. My sons_.” A fired of passion sparked in John’s voice as he spoke about his boys. “ _They’re going to be important someday, soon._ ”

“How-how do you mean?” Corbett stuttered, still shaken by the assertion that he was going to _die_.

“ _They’re going to save the world, or die trying._ ” John told him gravely.

They stood in silence for a moment, contemplating his words.

“ _If you love your friends, your family,_ ” John broke the silence first. “ _You’re going to have to die. Without you, Sam and Dean don’t stand a chance._ ”  
Corbett stayed silent for a long moment. Finally, he met John’s focused gaze.

“What do you need me to do?”

***

“Where’d you go last night, dude?” Spruce sat down next to Corbett, kicking his feet up onto the briefing table. Corbett jumped, sharp pain piercing his skull as the noise jolted him – hangovers were a bitch.

“I, uh, I just had to, I wasn’t…I wasn’t feeling well.” Corbett finished lamely, unable to make eye contact with the cameraman. He gazed down at the mythology book he’d been reading, unseeing.

Spruce stared at him for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not he was going to let the lie slide, before letting out a breath and leaning back. “Well, glad you’re up and about then.”

“Thanks,” Corbett muttered, flipping a page of the book to appear as though he was actually doing something. The two sat in silence for a minute, thick and uncomfortable.

“I know, you know.” Spruce started. Corbett looked up, confused.

“You know what?” 

“You know.” Spruce shot him a sly grin, complete with a wink.

“What do I know?”

“That I know.”

“No I don’t know. What do you know?” 

“You’ve got the hots for Ed.” Spruce raised an eyebrow, as if daring Corbett to contradict him.

“No I don’t.” Corbett denied, though the rebuttal came a second too late.

“You think your puppy love has gone unnoticed, kid? Maggie pegged it the second you stepped into this joint.” Spruce smiled smugly at the intern. “And while Maggie and Harry were wrapping their tongues around each other at the bar, I happened to notice a little spit-swappin’ between a certain intern and fearless leader.”

Corbett gaped at Spruce, wanting to deny the assertions but being completely unable to. Spruce clapped Corbett on the back, dropping his feet back to the ground. 

“Trust me; the guy’s not going to catch a hint till you smack him in the dick with it. Go for it kiddo. Seriously.” Spruce departed, heading out to the backyard where Ed and Harry were attempting to film another instructional video. 

Corbett dropped his forehead to the table. Maggie walked in a moment later, slowing down when she saw him.

“What’s wrong, Corbett?”

The intern closed his eyes and dropped his head to the table again with a dull thunk.

“Nothing.” He sighed. “Just my life.”

***

“We need a picnic.” 

“What?” 

All eyes turned to Corbett, confusion evident. Harry had just been rambling about a new procedure, and while most of the team was grateful for the interruption, it still didn’t make much sense.

“We need a picnic. First annual, Ghostfacers picnic.” Corbett looked up at his teammates, a small smile gracing his face. 

They exchanged glances, still bewildered, until Maggie shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

***

And so, on the 14th of May, the Ghostfacers had their first annual picnic.

“Bugs, bugs!” Harry yelled, jumping off of the blanket as a grasshopper shifted, 7 feet away. Spruce started laughing, and Harry glared at him. “…I don’t like bugs.”

“Well, now that Harry’s irrational fear of bugs has been addressed,” Maggie began dryly, smirking when Harry made a noise of protest. “Corbett, if you’d like to say a few words?”

“I, ah,” Corbett blushed, biting his lip. 

“Spit it out.” Spruce grinned, taking a swig of the beer he’d already opened.

“You’re my friends,” Corbett confessed. “You’re my friends and…I love you.”  
The other Facers blinked at Corbett until he coughed, smiling softly. “Just thought I’d let you know.”

“…We love you too, Corbett.” Ed replied earnestly, reaching out to pat Corbett awkwardly on the shoulder, and Spruce muffled a laugh. Corbett blushed beet red as Maggie moved to open a beer can, spraying both her brother and the intern accidently in the process.

“Dammit!” Ed cursed, shaking droplets of beer out of his hair. Maggie exploded in a fit of laughter as Ed tackled her.

The small scuffle rapidly devolved into a food fight, which then proceeded to suck each Ghostfacer in, one by one, until they were all tangled in a sticky, food-encrusted heap.

“I think I have egg salad in my ear,” Harry moaned, trying and failing to disentangle himself from beneath Maggie. 

“Why don’t you have Maggie lick it ou-” Spruce began, shifting beneath Corbett.

“OW!” Ed cried in pain, rolling over to sprawl across Corbett but beneath Maggie. He wasn’t sure how that worked, but it was suddenly hysterically hilarious, and Corbett found that he couldn’t stop laughing.

The rest of the team started laughing too – it was contagious, and the picnic was a disaster, but they were together.

It wouldn’t last.

***

_Corbett._

_Corbett._

_Its time._

“I’m not ready.”

_I know._

***

“-All right, we all know the legend. Every four years, supposedly, this becomes the most haunted place in America.” Corbett’s stomach sank further and further towards the floor the longer he sat through Ed’s briefing. As soon as he’d seen the photos, he’d _known._

“The leap year ghost, some call it. The ghost returns at midnight just as February 29th begins.”

“And no one has ever stayed the night, right?”

_It’s time._

***

“All right, everybody. Ghostfacers, let's line up. Everybody. We'll set up camp right here. This is command center one.” Corbett carried the last heavy bag of equipment into the house as Ed spoke. He was sweating a little, but that didn’t stop the fear that gripped his heart.

“We're gonna call this the eagle's nest.” Harry declared proudly.

_I’m not ready._

***

“Hey, aren't those the assholes from Texas?”

Corbett watched the scene unfurl – his panic had risen and swelled when the Winchesters had first caught him and Ed – but if he were being honest, it hadn’t really been panic. It had been relief – furious, delightful relief – at the fact that maybe he’d been saved, that maybe he would be spending a night in a holding cell instead of spending a last, final night in a haunted house.

“What kind of reading did we get?” Spruce asked, and Corbett looked over towards the Winchesters for one, long moment. They were bickering, as siblings do, and in that moment, Corbett knew it was time.

Corbett spared another glance at the Ghostfacers – his team, his friends – eyes quietly searching Ed’s excited face. He’d found his ghost.

Would the man even miss him when he was gone? 

_Goodbye, Ghostfacers._ Corbett thought as he silently slipped out of the room while Dean tried to explain death echoes. 

_Goodbye, Ed._

***

“I wish to communicate with the restless spirits here.” Corbett knew, as he spoke, that he was being foolish. There was nobody but him in the basement – everybody else was bickering upstairs about whether or not they’re going to leave. The ghost wasn’t going to care if he wanted to _riverdance_ ; it was going to kill him anyway. 

Even though he wasn’t entirely sure how his sacrifice was going to help Sam and Dean, Corbett did it anyway.

“Uh, lights out? Oh, I think I got night vision here.” Corbett was babbling to the camera, but it made him feel better. At least he wasn’t totally alone in his final moments.

“That's better.” Corbett smiled slightly as he set the camera, then looked up, ready to call out to the ghost again. Instead, cold, stiff hands wrapped around his midsection, hauling him out of the room.

Corbett couldn’t help it – he screamed bloody murder, unable to stop himself from struggling against the ghost’s iron hold. The camera that had been comforting him only a moment ago was weighing him down, immobilizing him and destroying his chances of escaping.

“Corbett!”

“Let me go! GUYS!” He can hear his friends searching for him, running in the wrong direction as the ghost dragged him towards the basement. “NO!”

But Corbett’s protests go unheard and the world fades into inky blackness. 

***

“Corbett. Corbett. Hey. Corbett, Hey.”

Corbett groaned, one eye cracking open tentatively. Wasn’t he supposed to be dead? He’d let the ghost get him, drag him down, down…

“Sam?” Somehow, he wasn’t dead and Sam had been captured. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go…

“Corbett, hey, you got to keep listening to my voice, okay? I'm right here. stay awake.”

“Don’t listen. It stops hurting, so don’t worry.”

All Corbett could think as the spirit pushed the dagger through his throat was, _I did it._

***

He’s not dead.

Well, he’s dead, but he hasn’t been afforded the blissful comfort of death.

Corbett choked on his own blood once again, able to feel the knife burning hot in his throat, lodged in the flesh there. 

Except that there _wasn’t_ any flesh there, not anymore. So why was he still there?

“…You meant... Corbett, you meant a lot to the team. You meant... You meant a lot to me. You know, never back down...Never say a bad word, okay?” It took Corbett a minute to register who was standing in front of him, but eventually Corbett was able to recognize the figure as Ed.

“-I remember because I love you, Corbett. I really, truly love you.” Corbett knew that he did – he knew better than Ed knew. Corbett remembered the kiss, remembered his mission, remembered himself.

“Ed?” The word felt like home as it passed Corbett’s lips; memories of the failed picnic and hours upon hours of cramped I Spy flooded his mind.

“You got to help us, man. You have to help us, Corbett. Please. Please. Please help us right now.”

As Corbett broke out of his loop, he wondered if Ed knew that he didn’t really have to ask. 

***

The ghost of Freeman Daggett was strong, but not strong enough. Corbett had Ed’s voice echoing in his ears; his friends’ safety depended on him. Nothing could beat that.

As soon as he finished grappling with Daggett, managing to tear him away from Earth and into a more ethereal zone, John and Mary appeared. Together, the three dissolved Daggett, sending him God-only-knows where. Presently, Corbett found he wasn’t all that curious.

“So I’m dead.” Corbett stated blankly. He knew it was going to happen, but it still felt strange. John nodded, and Mary wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders.

“But they’re alive.” John’s smile was bittersweet. The whiteness around them evaporated, revealing the remaining Ghostfacers along with Sam and Dean exiting the Morton house in the morning daylight. “Because of you, Corbett.”

Corbett said nothing, choosing to stare at the team of wannabe ghost hunters. 

“Are you ready?” Mary asked gently, squeezing the ex-intern softly. Corbett turned to her, questioning.

“Ready for what?” Mary brushed Corbett’s hair down fondly, years he hadn’t seen in her before surfacing.

“To move on, sweetheart.” John looked between the two, a suggestion bubbling up on his lips.

“You don’t have to; you can stay here, as a ghost. I wouldn’t recommend it, though.” Corbett nodded, contemplating the option.

“Then I’m staying,” Corbett looked down at Ed, who was staring up into the sky, as though he could see Corbett hanging right above him. “They wouldn’t last a week without me.”

“If you’re sure…” Mary hesitated, concern etched in her expression. 

Corbett nodded, smiling again. Once a Facer, always a Facer.

***


End file.
